瘠 (jí) - thin & lean

瘠Tone 2

jí ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

慧佳

瘠 · jí

thin;

lean;

emaciated;

barren;

unproductive;

poor (soil)

thinleanemaciated

Usage highlights

emaciated and weakbarren landlean and thinpoor soilbarren mountainsemaciated appearance

Synonyms

  • 瘦— thin; lean
  • 贫— poor; impoverished
  • 薄— thin; poor (soil)

Antonyms

  • 肥— fat; fertile
  • 沃— fertile; rich (soil)
  • 丰— plentiful; abundant

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The patient became very thin (瘠瘦).
  • This is barren land (瘠土).
  • He looks emaciated (身体瘠弱).
  • The soil here is poor (土壤瘠薄).

Collocations

  • emaciated and weak(瘠弱)
  • barren land(瘠土)
  • lean and thin(瘠瘦)
  • poor soil(瘠田)
  • barren mountains(瘠山)
  • emaciated appearance(瘠形)

Idioms

  • Turning barren land into fertile fields(变瘠为肥)
  • Barren land and poor people(地瘠民贫)
  • Rich and fertile, poor and barren(肥瘠不均)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, '瘠' describes pathological thinness due to illness or malnutrition.
  • In agriculture, '瘠' refers to land that lacks nutrients and cannot support good crop growth.
  • The character reflects traditional concerns about health and agricultural productivity.

FAQ